Starlight
by Selenity Jade
Summary: [Complete] A short WAFFy InuKag ficlet. Inuyasha seeks solitude the night after a battle, but lets Kagome join him.


**Starlight**  
_By Selenity Jade_  
_Rating: PG_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha, however much I wish to pet his ears. Sadly, he's a drawing and created by someone other than me.

**Notes:** One-shot for 101Kisses on Livejournal.

**X**

He had caught her scent long before he heard her approach him from behind, even with his exceptional hearing. He didn't know what it was, but he could always smell her unique scent in a way he was never aware of the others. The moment she came through the well, his nose was twitching with her scent, and it never mattered if he was near the village or the well.

Even her scent had once reminded him of Kikyou. Now the dead priestess smelled of bones, earth, and clay, but before she had smelled a little like Kagome did. Enough that when he had first woken up, he had mistaken their scents. Kagome's would always be subtly different, though. Kagome only vaguely smelled of herbs, and usually only when she was learning from Kaede, while Kikyou had always had that musky – sometimes smoky – odor of burnt plants and dried vegetation. Kagome also had a slight aroma from her own world whenever she first comes home from her own time.

That blended with her unique scent – like Kikyou, but softer somehow, unobtrusive – made her Kagome, and he no longer mistook her for his dead – or reanimated – love.

He didn't glance at her when she sat beside him on the small grassy knoll. He was used to it by now; she always intruded upon his privacy after a battle when he escaped the inane chatter of their companions once the sun set. In fact, he had come to expect and even enjoy her company in these quiet moments under the stars.

"Does your arm still hurt?" she asked him softly.

He irritably grunted. "Of course not."

He could almost feel her smile; she always smiled in a way that left everyone around her basking in the warmth of it. "I know you heal better than us puny humans, Inuyasha, but I just wanted to make sure it wasn't worse than it looked earlier."

He grunted an affirmation before looking back up at the dark sky, lit only by tiny pinpricks of light and a small sliver of a moon.

"It'll be the new moon soon," she reminded him unnecessarily. He was always aware of the new moon when it drew closer. He hated dreaded it, and even feared it a little, though he would never tell her or them that.

"You should sleep," he said instead.

"I know."

They sat in silence for a long while, and Inuyasha was able to admit to himself that it was comforting to have her there. She was always so comforting and safe. She stayed by his side, refusing to leave him even when he went running after Kikyou. He didn't deserve her. She was his best friend, even if what he felt for her was deeper than friendship. He would never be able to tell her that, but he thought she knew anyway. The fact that she refused to leave him despite the danger she now lived with on a daily basis proved that she cared deeply for him, even when he attacked her verbally every moment he got.

He really didn't deserve a girl who was so devoted or a friend who cared so much. But he was selfish and couldn't bring himself to part from her, not now.

She sighed, causing him to glance at her. "What's wrong now?" he asked, ruder than he intended.

She half-smiled at him, tilting her head back to look at the inky sky. "I was just thinking about what we'll all do once we defeat Naraku."

He turned his gaze upwards himself. "You'll probably go back to your own time."

He heard another sigh before she spoke. "If... you're still here, maybe I'll come visit."

Looking at her, he blinked in surprise. "What? You'd come back even after the jewel is complete and Naraku is dead?"

She nodded with that satisfied look she sometimes got. "Yup. After all, you'll still be here, won't you?"

He frowned, still watching her suspiciously. "Probably, but why would you...?"

She finally turned her vibrant blue eyes to him. "Because we're friends, Inuyasha. I swore I'd never leave you, right? I never put a time limit on it."

He paused, shocked. Then a slow smile spread over his face and he chuckled. "No, you didn't," he agreed, turning his gaze back towards the heavens.

She stretched beside him. "I'm going to get some sleep. Don't stay up too late."

He smirked without looking at her. "I don't need as much sleep as – "

"-you weak humans. Yes, I know."

"You finally got it."

She giggled and he was glad. He loved it when she was happy and especially when she laughed.

Starting in shock when he felt her lips connect with his cheek briefly, he snapped his head around to glance up at the standing girl. _What...?_

"Goodnight, Inuyasha," she told him simply and turned, walking back down to their friends.

_She kissed me..._

A slow grin washed over his face and he continued his vigil, alone but never lonely. He never would be, not with her near.

**X**

**AN:** A short, super sweet WAFFy fic. Hope no one got cavities.

Lovies!


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